Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Dr. Conti will be hosting a Report Card Meeting on November 30 at 6:30pm at Francis Wyman school to discuss with parents the new standards-based report cards. The report cards have a new format and grading system. This meeting is in preparation for report card distribution on December 7th. We are encouraging parents to attend so that when they receive their child’s report card they will be familiar with the format and have a better understanding of how student progress is being reported to parents.

When I watched the fourth grade launch their rockets, several thoughts occurred in my mind. One was the problem solving skills and engaging learning involved in this project. A second thought was one of these students could be the first astronaut to fly a rocket to Mars and the skills they have learned at Pine Glen will help them complete the mission. One of my favorite movies of all time is Toy Story, which has an astronaut, named Buzz Lightyear. I will borrow the quote from Buzz in to help express that a love of learning and life long learners will bring us, “To infinity and beyond.”

A regular tradition my family has at Thanksgiving to go around the table during dinner and say what we are most thankful for this year. One thing that came to mind last night while reading to my daughters before bedtime was the wishing wand hanging up in their bedroom. Seven years ago a colleague of mine gave birth to a daughter who needed a heart transplant. To help support her family, several of my colleagues made wooden “Wishing Wands” - a wooden star wand that was uniquely decorated and sold these as a fundraiser. The “baby” is now in second grade and doing very well!

The wishing wand made me think back to my days of teaching and some of my students who were the first to receive surgeries that at the time were considered to be groundbreaking, miracle procedures. I had followed the progress of several of these students and they are all doing great.

My niece will be celebrating her second birthday this year in January. She was born at 24 weeks and was called a micro-preemie. The pediatrician refers to her as a miracle. She is a petite talking, walking, and smiling toddler who inspires me every day.

What I am most thankful for this year are children. Thinking of how delicate life is and how close in the balance my niece’s first months alive were, past/current students amazing challenges with cancer and other similar medical challenges, and my friend’s children’s lives have been makes me reflect on how much children add and help us rejoice life in general.

I thank all the parents of Burlington for letting me play a role in enriching your children’s lives. I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

Once again the 4th and 5th grade chorus and band are rehearsing for their annual Winter Concert.The concert will take place on December 13th, at 7:00 p.m. in the Pine Glen School Cafeteria.

Students should be dressed appropriately, wearing black (or dark) pants and a white shirt.Girls may wear skirts.Please do not wear sweats or T-shirts.Students should arrive at school at 6:45. They will then line up in preparation for the concert.Band students should make sure to have their instrument and music.

We are looking forward to putting on a great performance!I hope to see you all there!

"The Burlington Education Foundation is hosting a Circus presented by Cirque Du Jour this Saturday, November 19, 2011. Three show times at 11, 1:30 and 4 with entertainment for all. Former Ringling Bros. performers, acrobats, daredevils, BMX bike team and more. Tickets are $10 each, or a 4-pack for only $30. Tickets are available on-line atwww.burlingtonedfoundation.org or at the door."

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Fire Drills and Code Blue lockdown practice drills are held periodically during the school year. The purpose of these drills is to prepare children for emergency situations. Fire and Code Blue Drills are conducted in conjunction with the Town of Burlington Fire and Police Departments. We will be conducting a Code Blue Drill this Friday (11/18/11) at 9:00 A.M.

A Code Blue procedure will be used when an intruder or dangerous scenario impacts the safety of the students. During a Code Blue teachers have students go to a designated section of the room on the floor, lock classroom doors, turn off lights, pull down shades and take attendance. Teachers and staff look to make sure all students are away from doors and windows.

A Relaxed Code Blue is a procedure used when the threat is away from the school. A Relaxed Code Blue is similar to a regular day with a few exceptions. During a Relaxed Code Blue students can use the bathrooms, go to specialists, and go to lunch. Also during a Relaxed Code Blue there is no outside recess. In addition, people cannot leave or enter the building.

Monday, November 7, 2011

(Adapted from the National Association of School Psychologist’s parent resources.)

Dear Families,

A student’s life at school is filled with potential connections (relationships, linkages in learning, behavioral choices, etc). Friendships with peers, relationships with teachers, acknowledgements from administrators, encouragement from coaches are all connections that are essential to making school an enjoyable place to learn. Supportive learning environments help students make the link between behavior, effort, skills, and achievement, while also building resilience and the ability to meet challenges successfully. Students who can clearly relate their choices and thought process to actions that lead to specific outcomes are better able to make good choices.

School psychologists are in a unique role to facilitate this process at school. We work directly with students providing assessments, leading individual and group skill development sessions, consulting and collaborating with teachers, counselors, aides, administrators, and parents. We also serve on school problem solving and leadership teams, analyzing and explaining educational data, developing classroom accommodations and modifications, and meeting with parents and community members.

Helping our students and schools focus on strengthening and increasing positive relationships is at the heart of national School Psychology Awareness Week, November 14–18, 2011. The theme, “Every link matters. Make a connection.” is directed to students, but also carries an important message to all adults. Link up and connect with me, Miss Garneau!I am your school psychologist and I would love to talk with you about your child and all the ways Pine Glen helps all our children make positive lifelong learning and social connections.

You and your family can help us build your children’s positive connections! As part of School Psychology Awareness week, we at Pine Glen are “growing” a Garden of Greatness. Even as the weather turns colder and the landscape begins to be coated with snow, our school entrance will be vibrant with colorful flowers and a powerful reminder of all our positive qualities. If you and your child are interested in contributing to our Pine Glen Garden of Greatness, full instructions are below and have been sent home with your students.

I look forward to working with all the students this year and hope to see our garden in full bloom!

This activity is intended to be a fun and creative way for children to recognize personal talents and positive qualities in themselves. Participation is purely voluntary, but we would like to see as many flowers as possible. This activity should take no longer than a half hour, though you may choose to spend more time discussing talents and qualities with your child or decorating the flower. I am asking that the flowers be returned to school by November 9th so we have time to finish and set up our garden for the week of the 14th.

Materials:

Flower pattern

Pencil

Art supplies (crayons, markers, colored pencils, etc)

Directions:

Take some time to think or talk about the answers to these questions (one word answers are ok):

·What is the most important thing to know about you?

·What is something you are excited about doing or learning this year?

·What is a way you can show you are kind to others?

·What is an activity that you do well?

·What is your favorite school subject or special?

·What is your best friendship quality?

Write your name in the center of the flower pattern. If you would like, you can also include a self-portrait in the center of the flower.

Using the examples below, write your talents and qualities on the flower petals (one per petal).

Thursday, November 3, 2011

The Annual Pine Glen Halloween Dance was held last Saturday evening before the worst of the weekend storm hit our area. We'd like thank all the families who joined us despite the weather forecast. The Haunted House was installed again on the school stage and was haunted by Pine Glen fifth graders. Refreshments were served in the cafetorium, while children danced in the gym to music provided by DJ Jack Ferren. All in attendance seemed to have a wonderful time.

We would also like to thank everyone who volunteered for or made contributions to this event including: parents, Pine Glen students, faculty, staff, middle and high school students, Roche Bros., NSK Inc., iParty, Target, Genevieve, Joanne Ryan, Jack Ferren, Carol McDonald Macri, Nancy and Bill Keddy, Monica Brown, Jill Giles and Maria Woods. Thank-you all for being part of this special Pine Glen tradition.

Congratulations to the following guests who won prizes that evening:

Kim Quattrocchi - Hershey Kisses estimation jar

Mary Emerson: Genevieve gift basket

Joanne Sullivan: Genevieve gift-wrapping supplies

Sean Desrochers: Genevieve Dog Lover's gift basket

The Grand Prize winner of an overnight stay for four including passes to the Coco Key Water Resort was Emma Naddaff. All students with orders over $100 were entered into this raffle.

We hope everyone had a happy Halloween/snow day and have a safe time trick-or-treating Friday evening.

The Pine Glen annual Turkey Trot will be held again this year on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Students in grades 3,4, and 5 are invited to run. It is a one loop run around the school, starting and finishing in front of the building. It will begin at 8:30 and the runners will be grouped by grade level and gender. In the spirit of Thanksgiving and helping others less fortunate, students are encouraged to donate food items to the Burlington Food Pantry. Parents are welcome to cheer on the runners outside! Hope to see you all there! Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving from Physical Education!

Reminder to All Fourth Grade Parents: All students entering fourth grade are required by State law to have an updated physical. Reminder letters were mailed to those students who still need a physical. Please send in your child's updated physical as soon as it has been completed their doctor. If you have any questions, you can contact me at 781-270-1713.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Just a friendly reminder that our next PTO meeting will be held on Thursday, November 3rd at 7 p.m. Our special guest will be Laura D'Elia, Pine Glen Library Media Specialist, who is planning to give the group a tour of the Library's updated space.

We will not meet in December. PTO meetings will resume after the holiday break.

I am sure children throughout the Northeast of the United States will remember Halloween 2011. I know I will not forget it.

My family (like I am sure many others) lost power for a significant amount of time. We lost power Saturday night around 7:30 and did not get it back until Monday night around 8:00 pm. Like many of you I heard the disappointment from my children at the thought of not being able to go Trick or Treating on Halloween Night. It must be heart breaking for children to think they cannot dress up as a favorite character as they have planned and looked forward to for months. (Like Burlington, the town I live in has also rescheduled Trick or Treating.)

I am sure parents were very eager to bring students to Pine Glen this morning. Pine Glen’s official start time for school is 8:10 P.M. This means that a two-hour delay would result with a start time of 10:10 P.M. Please note this time in the instance we have another delayed start.

Welcome to Pine Glen!

Pine Glen Elementary School

Pine Glen School is located on a beautiful wooded setting in the town of Burlington, Massachusetts. The school has 312 students and includes grades kindergarten through grade five. The school was erected in 1962 and is still in excellent condition. Pine Glen is a learning community with excellent teachers, wonderful children and a very supportive parent community.